What is the function, in play terms, of the secondary entrance into Zyrxog's "Cathedral of the Mind" (from the room with the viewing pool)? Everything else seems to be set up for the party to come in through the main entrance, and most of them won't be able to enter the room from the secondary entrance (as the balcony is 45' up). They can't catch Zyrxog unaware, as the stone brain will have warned of their approach. So why is the encounter laid out this way?
Escape route for Zyrxog, maybe? Easy access to his scry pool? Also, while they can't take Zyrxog unawares very easily, the balcony does provide a commanding view of the room for an archer or spellcaster. Of course since Zyrxog can levitate and the Octopins can climb the walls very easily, it's not exactly a safe platform.
You can always block it off in your game.
I'm coming up on that part of the campaign myself, and I was thinking I'd make the entry into it from the lab a secret door.
Thanks for your replies. From Zyrxog's point of view, it's obviously handy to be able to levitate up to the scrying pool without having to walk round the curving corridor through the library. But I was wondering more what made the adventure designer lay it out this way - other than aesthetics?
I've seen several people suggest that the access from the pool room to the main chamber be blocked off or made into a secret door, so I guess I'm not the only one who's wondered this...
I think the fight with Zyrxog works best if the PCs enter from the main hallway, with him levitating up above the pool. If the PCs find the secret door into the pool room, then this encounter gets short circuited.
My group had a couple of elves (I hate that racial ability to see secret doors!) - so I took the secret door out completely. But assuming your group has no way of detecting it, it is a good escape route for Zyrxog - which gives you the option of bringing him back as a recurring villain.
Also - even if he gets killed - you can consider having one of Bozal's minions recovering his remains and bringing him back as some kind of powerful undead (one that retains the base creature's abilities). I didn't do that but kind of wish that I had...
The passage into the Cathedral of the Mind can be kinda tricky. In my game, after fighting the advanced Octopin, the players were already low on resources and checked out the scrying room. The elven druid decided to scout the balcony, and unfortunately was spotted by Zyxog, and a horrible fight ensued. It would have been a TPK for sure if not for my intervention. However, it could have been very different if the party ninja took a look down the hall to see how the Cathedral was set up and to inform the party of Zyxog's location. Then at least the party would not be advancing on a powerful illithid sorcerer without rest and low on spells.
For the scout or sniper character, the balcony is a great perch. For those that are unprepared, the hallway makes for some great lightning bolt targets.
Yes, that's pretty much what's happened with my group. After some tough fights with the stone brain and the advanced octopin, leaving them low on resources, they carefully opened the door to the scrying pool room. As it looked reasonably innocuous, they went in, and the sorcerer sent his raven familiar flying out over the balcony to see what was in the room beyond. Of course, Zyrxog spotted the bird, and I'm now worried that the party's going to be in trouble - especially as Zyrxog is pre-warned and buffed.
Has anyone played this adventure and managed *not* to alert Zyrxog to their presence before encountering him? Surely the stone brain always alerts the mind flayer, making the "If warned..." statements almost redundant?
Has anyone played this adventure and managed *not* to alert Zyrxog to their presence before encountering him? Surely the stone brain always alerts the mind flayer, making the "If warned..." statements almost redundant?
A party might escape notice if they had a warforged scouting, or something -- anything that might not be quite as vulnerable or noticeable by the telepathy of the stone brain. But the "if warned" statements really ARE ridiculous, to be honest... he's going to see them coming.
For my take on Zyrxog, I gave him the Mindsight feat from Lords of Madness. Simply, if the PCs and their sentient tasty brains come within a hundred feet of him, he spots them and starts preparing the silverware. *evil grin*
IMC Zyrxog was (of course) aware of the PC's. And they were so paranoid by the time they got to the room with the advanced octopin that they refused to go any farther into his lair; I couldn't get them to set foot in or even toward the "museum" room until Zyrxog was already defeated. I think that balcony area was put there just for scaredy-cat parties like mine, so Z could still get at them or they could still get at him without the party facing more traps/ambushes/aberrant mojo on the way. He and his octo-pets had no trouble getting up there to attack the party once it was clear they weren't going to cooperate by walking in through the main entrance. That battle lasted 3 whole sessions(!) and would have been a TPK had I not made Z toy with the party (to indulge his natural superiority complex by increasing the delicious terror in their brains before his inevitable victory, of course) only to have his buffs expire in the nick of time... OK, I admit, eventually correcting Z's misprinted Mind Blast DC probably helped a lot there too in avoiding a TPK...
The party was still feeling the pain of this adventure in the final session of the next installment, when the cleric whipped out the bronze griffon figurine to "help" them fight the ulgurstasta. Heh, that was the only item from Z's museum they didn't have Analyze Dweomer cast on; they must've forgotten that one!
They were also kind enough to knock out Auric early in the battle. Ugly the Ulgy actually had to use nonlethal damage to bite him, so that he'd still be alive when swallowed whole and get killed by ritual-completing necromantic acid (almost instantly) rather than plain old teeth! But I digress...
Kang
The party was still feeling the pain of this adventure in the final session of the next installment, when the cleric whipped out the bronze griffon figurine to "help" them fight the ulgurstasta. Heh, that was the only item from Z's museum they didn't have Analyze Dweomer cast on; they must've forgotten that one!
They were also kind enough to knock out Auric early in the battle. Ugly the Ulgy actually had to use nonlethal damage to bite him, so that he'd still be alive when swallowed whole and get killed by ritual-completing necromantic acid (almost instantly) rather than plain old teeth! But I digress...
I can only imagine with glee the looks on your PCs faces as the entire arena went wight. *evil grin*
OK, I admit, eventually correcting Z's misprinted Mind Blast DC probably helped a lot there too in avoiding a TPK...
So that was a misprint? I missed that one, and it explains a lot, like how they expect anyone to survive that fight!
So that was a misprint? I missed that one, and it explains a lot, like how they expect anyone to survive that fight!
Yes, the DC for Zyrxog's mind blast should be 20. Which still means that PCs with poor will saves are going to fail most of the time!